Ten Tips for Becoming a Connected Educator

We all know that education budgets are getting cut more and more, and that meaningful professional-development opportunities have unfortunately become a bit of an oxymoron in education. Not only can being a "connected educator" help change that, but it can also provide you with ongoing inspiration and support. I'd even go as far to argue that being connected will be the most impactful thing you can do in your career. So with all of that said, I'd like to provide you with these ten tips on how you can get connected -- starting tomorrow. 1. I've been in so many meetings with educators who talk about the power of making mistakes. 2. When I teach others how to get started using social media for professional development, many request a manual of some sort -- a detailed step-by-step account that tells you exactly what you need to do. 3. I recently heard this playful metaphor of a puppy getting loose for the first time to describe how people should use social media. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age December 12, 2004 George Siemens Update (April 5, 2005): I've added a website to explore this concept at www.connectivism.ca Introduction Behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism are the three broad learning theories most often utilized in the creation of instructional environments. Learners as little as forty years ago would complete the required schooling and enter a career that would often last a lifetime. “One of the most persuasive factors is the shrinking half-life of knowledge. Some significant trends in learning: Many learners will move into a variety of different, possibly unrelated fields over the course of their lifetime. Background Driscoll (2000) defines learning as “a persisting change in human performance or performance potential…[which] must come about as a result of the learner’s experience and interaction with the world” (p.11). Driscoll (2000, p14-17) explores some of the complexities of defining learning. Conclusion:

A Humorous Look At The 20 Types Of Teacher Forgetful Teacher, Tech-Addict Teacher & 18 Other Teacher Stereotypes Ed note: This post has been republished from a late 2012 post 1. This is the teacher whose class you don’t miss. 2. While being talkative can stifle a student’s opportunity to learn—students do their best to keep the Talkative Teacher going: the more the teacher talks, the less students have to work. 3. This is the one who mocks the principal when they turn their back, thumbs their nose at “the state,” and encourages students to stand on their desks and rip their SpringBoard book into pieces. 4. If you do not learn to read Chaucer or solve theorems with the same urgency as the Fire-and-Brimstone teacher, you’ll fail. NOTE: If you’re easily offended, don’t watch the video. 5. This is the K-12 teacher that grew up dreaming of teaching Emily Dickinson at Stanford, but instead teaches band at Mudhen Middle School, and hasn’t quite come to grips with it all. 6. 7. The Forgetful Teacher forgets everything. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

A review of research on the impact of professional learning communities on teaching practice and student learning Abstract After an overview of the characteristics of professional learning communities (PLCs), this manuscript presents a review of 10 American studies and one English study on the impact of PLCs on teaching practices and student learning. Although, few studies move beyond self-reports of positive impact, a small number of empirical studies explore the impact on teaching practice and student learning. The collective results of these studies suggest that well-developed PLCs have positive impact on both teaching practice and student achievement. Implications of this research and suggestions for next steps in the efforts to document the impact of PLCs on teaching and learning are included. Keywords Professional development; School culture; Teaching practice; Student achievement; Teacher collaboration 1. Over the past 20 yr there has been a paradigm shift gathering momentum with regard to the professional development of teachers. 2. 3. The studies for our review come from two key sources.

Prevent Cheating Description A 1998 national survey found that four out of five top high school students admitted to cheating at some point. In another nationwide study, nine out of ten high school teachers acknowledged that cheating is a problem in their school. Is cheating a problem in your school? Learn More About Strategies to Curb Cheating Cheating in the Classroom: How to Prevent It (and How to Handle It If It Happens) "We sometimes forget the seriousness of not preventing and handling cheating in our classrooms," says classroom management expert Howard Seeman. Classroom Problem Solver: Prevent Cheating Elementary school teachers play a key role in conveying the importance of classroom honesty and in helping students learn to take pride in their own work, according to school psychologist and Education World columnist Dr. Uniting Against Cheating When students complained about the level of cheating, principal John J. What Can We Do to Curb Student Cheating?

The 7 Values That Drive IDEO Beautiful web-based timeline software